The present invention generally relates to fastener feed systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to an indexing feed system having a carousel table which automatically indexes to continue the uninterrupted supply of fasteners to an installation head.
In many fastener installation systems, the fasteners are formed into long continuous strips that are rolled onto reels. When used, the reels are mounted upon a dereeler stand so that they can be fed into the installation head. The dereeler stand is basically a support stand having side members, a support rod extending between the side members, and a roller bracket. The support rod is inserted into the center hole of the reel and then positioned between the side members to support the reel between the side members. The strip of fasteners is guided under the roller bracket and into an installation head for the installation of the fasteners into a work piece. The installation head assembly generally pushes the fasteners into the installation head.
Typically, an alarm sounds to signal that a reel has been emptied and needs to be replaced. When the reel is empty, a worker removes the empty reel, inserts a new reel of fasteners, threads the free end of the fastener strip under the roller bracket and into the installation head so that the process can then be started again. As should be appreciated, the time needed to replace the reel can result in costly down time for the equipment.